Parliament 2
Baroness Eaton and Lord Farmer asked about men’s health in the House of Lords while Sarah Olney focussed on the Environment in the House of Commons
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by Dave Cross
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Conservative life peer Baroness Eaton asked Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to ensuring men's health is made a ministerial priority, and making improvements to men's health a specific strand of work within the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.
Lord Kamall, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Technology, Innovation and Life Sciences at the Department of Health and Social Care informed her: “Improving the health of both men and women is a ministerial priority for the Department. Evidence suggests that men are disproportionately affected by certain conditions, such as ischemic heart disease, are more likely to smoke or engage in other health harming behaviours and are more likely to die by suicide. We have committed to reduce stroke and heart attacks and the forthcoming publication of the new Tobacco Control Plan will target groups where smoking rates are not decreasing, including men. We are also investing in measures to prevent suicide.
“While there are no current plans to make men's health a specific strand of work, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities aims to improve the health of the population regardless of socio-economic background or gender.”
It should be noted that the Tobacco Control Plan is seriously behind schedule given the constant chopping and changing of ministers and the Conservative election process for the new Prime Minister. The government has long since ceased to give a target date for its publication.
Conservative life peer Lord Farmer asked Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made on the development of a Men's Health Strategy.
Lord Kamall told him: “Although the Department does not have any current plans to develop a men’s health strategy, we have measures in place to address specific health issues which disproportionately affect men. This includes commitments in the NHS Long Term Plan to reduce stroke and heart attacks and the forthcoming new Tobacco Control Plan and significant investment in suicide prevention.”
Richmond Park’s Liberal Democrat representative, Sarah Olney MP asked the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Department has made an assessment of the environmental impact of disposable vapes and plans to introduce recycling schemes designed to reduce the amount of electrical waste produced by those products.
Speaking for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Double MP responded: “The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the environmental impact of disposable vapes in the UK. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations place obligations on producers of electrical products to finance the collection and treatment of those products when they become waste. This would include disposable vapes.
“At present, consumers are able to dispose of their electrical waste at a local household recycling centre or via retailer take back channels, where these are available.
“Cigarette butts are one of the most frequently littered items. In a recent survey commissioned by Defra, they accounted for 66% of the total number of litter items collected.”
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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